5 Conclusion
This methodology development, presented through a case study, showed how an
organisation in the transport sector has developed a checklist named Environmental
Screening (EnvS) in production and product development. From the analysis of the
case study, important conclusions can be drawn.
These can potentially help interested readers in their own design and implementation of environmental tools, and can be summarised as follows (in no specific
order):
• Carrying out a pilot project in order to get feedback and refine the usefulness of
the tool is advisable.
• Enthusiasm from workforce for buy-in and feedback can help in developing the
tool.
• A facilitator with deeper knowledge can operate the tool and simplify complexity arising from multiple stakeholders and levels of knowledge.
• A reference group consisting of relevant people from different departments and
potential users of the tool are important to consider.
• A tool should match and reflect company values for easier incorporation into
every day operations.
It is also important to mention that this research has some limitations. The use of
a single case study presents a particular example in industry. However, this research
can stimulate discussion and an exchange of experiences from organizations facing
similar challenges towards sustainability.
The results of this research can be insightful for companies that want to incorporate environmental tools into their design, operations and product development.
They could potentially use this research when developing tools of their own.
Academics that do research on design and implementation of methods can also
benefit from this study. They can find and compare similar needs in other organizations and identify factors to be considered when developing tools and validating
them. Finally, future work could address tools for earlier stages in design (fuzzy
front end) and other sustainability aspects that can provide an insight into how
needs are identified and addressed.
Acknowledgements This research was supported by the Mistra REES (Resource Efficient and
Effective Solutions) program, funded by Mistra (The Swedish Foundation for Strategic
Environmental Research).
Development of an Environmental Evaluation Tool …
387
This methodology development, presented through a case study, showed how an
organisation in the transport sector has developed a checklist named Environmental
Screening (EnvS) in production and product development. From the analysis of the
case study, important conclusions can be drawn.
These can potentially help interested readers in their own design and implementation of environmental tools, and can be summarised as follows (in no specific
order):
• Carrying out a pilot project in order to get feedback and refine the usefulness of
the tool is advisable.
• Enthusiasm from workforce for buy-in and feedback can help in developing the
tool.
• A facilitator with deeper knowledge can operate the tool and simplify complexity arising from multiple stakeholders and levels of knowledge.
• A reference group consisting of relevant people from different departments and
potential users of the tool are important to consider.
• A tool should match and reflect company values for easier incorporation into
every day operations.
It is also important to mention that this research has some limitations. The use of
a single case study presents a particular example in industry. However, this research
can stimulate discussion and an exchange of experiences from organizations facing
similar challenges towards sustainability.
The results of this research can be insightful for companies that want to incorporate environmental tools into their design, operations and product development.
They could potentially use this research when developing tools of their own.
Academics that do research on design and implementation of methods can also
benefit from this study. They can find and compare similar needs in other organizations and identify factors to be considered when developing tools and validating
them. Finally, future work could address tools for earlier stages in design (fuzzy
front end) and other sustainability aspects that can provide an insight into how
needs are identified and addressed.
Acknowledgements This research was supported by the Mistra REES (Resource Efficient and
Effective Solutions) program, funded by Mistra (The Swedish Foundation for Strategic
Environmental Research).
Development of an Environmental Evaluation Tool …
387